February 9, 2002
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Mogadore, Ohio, USA:
I am a 48 year old female who had a two-hour oral glucose tolerance test and I have gotten differing opinions from two doctors about these results: Fasting — 95 mg/dl [5.3 mmol/L], one-half hour — 231mg/dl [12.8 mmol/L], one-hour — 200 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L], and two-hours — 97 mg/dl [5.4 mmol/L]. I also had urine ketones.
One of my doctors diagnosed type 2 diabetes and put me on Glucophage which is causing a lot of side effects (sweating, shaking, etc.). My other doctor performed a hemoglobin A1c which was 4.6%. This doctor says I should not be on Glucophage and that I do not have diabetes.
Help! Any insight into this?
Answer:
You do not have diabetes (A fasting glucose of 126 mg/dl [7 mmol/L] is diagnostic), but you do seem to have glucose intolerance. If you are overweight, hypertensive, and have with elevated cholesterol, you have what is called the metabolic syndrome which affects 47 million Americans.
Nevertheless, I might have also recommended the Glucophage [metformin] since it reduces insulin resistance, especially if other risk factors apply.
LD
